1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus and a control method for an image forming apparatus, and particularly relates to an image reading apparatus which is able to configure a copy system together with an image forming apparatus connected thereto, and a method of controlling an image forming apparatus from the image reading apparatus connected thereto.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In recent years, there have been provided a variety of image reading apparatuses such as scanners and image forming apparatuses such as printers, spanning from expensive and sophisticated apparatuses to inexpensive and non-sophisticated apparatuses.
Accordingly, in addition to a typical way of connecting these the image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, there has been an increased number of cases in which an image reading apparatus is directly connected to an image forming apparatus to use them as a copy system.
Referring to a flowchart in FIG. 5 illustrating the operation of a conventional image reading apparatus, the conventional image reading apparatus operated as a part of a copy system will now be described.
Upon receiving from a user a mode shift instruction to shift to the copy mode (YES in step 501), the image reading apparatus presents a list of image forming apparatuses which are selectable as an output destination, from among the image forming apparatuses connected to the image reading apparatus (step 502).
Upon one of the image forming apparatuses being selected as the output destination by the user (YES in step 503), the image reading apparatus transmits, to the selected image forming apparatus, a return instruction to instruct the same to return from the power saving state (step 504).
Upon receiving from the user an instruction to execute copying (YES in step 505), the image reading apparatus reads an original document to generate image data (step 506), and transmits the generated image data to the selected image forming apparatus (step 507) to complete the processing.
Therefore, in such conventional copy system, in general, an image forming apparatus has to be designated first, and then the image reading apparatus releases the power saving state of the designated image forming apparatus.
An example of techniques to control the power saving state of the image forming apparatus is described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-94794.
However, in the conventional copy system, as described above, an image forming apparatus has to be designated as an output destination by a user before releasing the power saving state of the image forming apparatus. Therefore, even after giving an instruction to perform copying, the user is unable to obtain output until the image forming apparatus becomes ready to operate. Such copy system cannot be considered user-friendly.